Retainers: Don’t Slack Off Now

After months or years in braces, there’s nothing worse than sabotaging your hard work by not wearing your retainers, or not wearing them properly. Many patients are so elated to have their brackets and bands off that they dismiss the fact that their orthodontic treatment is not truly over. Your smile may look the way you want it to, but you have now reached the retention phase of your treatment.

What is the purpose of retainers? Retainers are given to hold your teeth in their corrected positions until the bones and gums adapt to the change. This may be an unseen progression for you, but it is highly important if you wan to keep your new straight smile. Over time, your teeth will naturally shift to some degree after your braces are off. It is crucial that you wear your retainer exactly as your Suwanee, GA orthodontist has instructed. The golden rule of retention is that you can never wear your retainers too much or too long. Follow these guidelines for wearing your removable retainer:

Wear your retainers eight consecutive hours or more every day for the first year, unless instructed otherwise.

If your retainer is not in your mouth, keep it in its case.

Don’t skip your retainer appointments at our office; we need to monitor your progress and make any adjustments along the way.

Clean your retainers: Brush them with toothpaste daily. You may choose to soak them in warm water with a denture tablet for optimal freshness.

If your dentist performs a filling, bonding or other procedure that may change the shape of your teeth in the slightest way, make sure your retainer still fits comfortably afterwards.

If you lose or break your retainer, let us know as soon as possible. We don’t want your teeth to shift while you are waiting on a replacement.

It’s okay to remove your retainer during contact sports or swimming, and of course while you eat.

Let us know if your retainer is uncomfortable in any way!

Not only will wearing and caring for your retainer protect your smile, but it can protect your investment too. At Walton Orthodontics, we help patients understand the importance of taking their retainer seriously.

Posted on behalf of Dr. Matt Walton, Walton Orthodontics

Your New Favorite Suwanee, GA, Orthodontist For Braces & Invisalign

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Great for kids and teens of all ages. It's fantastic because Dr. Walton is an expert in what he does and that's giving braces. Another dentistry wanted to remove 4 if my teeth and give me 4 years of braces, but Dr. Walton let me keep my teeth with only 2 years of braces!- M. I.

Both of my kids are patients at Walton Orthodontics. The office staff is always friendly and will go out of their way to help you. Dr. Walton develops a plan and is very precise. Our experience has been great thus far!- Katie M.

As soon as we walked in the door, we were greeted and treated as if they had known us forever! Super friendly and helpful staff and Dr. Walton was wonderful with our daughter. She was very excited to come back to get her braces! We would highly recommend this office!!- Buck B.

Both our teens saw Dr. Walton for braces: one for traditional and one for Invisalign. We couldn't be happier with the results and Walton Orthodontics. We highly recommend Dr. Walton!- Blayne W.

Doctor Walton has tremendously helped my whole teeth ordeal. In the past 2 years, I went from messed-up teeth to not-messed-up teeth to braces. And now, I'm getting them off. (Now I can eat gum and popcorn.) I am super excited!- Wyatt S.